Happiness 101
Quit moaning about the pollution and the traffic and start focusing on these happiness techniques gleaned from Hong Kong’s top psychologists and sociologists, says Emily Ashman and Janet Leung. Illustrations by Jaclyn Tam.
Who is the happiest person in Hong Kong? Well, according to a ream of happiness studies both locally and internationally, we should have some idea of what she looks like. First of all, she’s a she. She’s between 65 and 70 years old. Let’s call her Mrs. Ng (she’s married, of course). Mrs. Ng eats a diet of bananas, oily fish and turkey, and she never uses a parasol when the sun is out. And, somehow, through some crazy legal loophole, she’s able to vote in the next Chief Executive election. She drinks, but only in moderation, she goes to a church, she exercises (but doesn’t think she’s fat), - and she has lots and lots of sex, but no kids. So how can you achive Mrs. Ng levels of happiness?
Work hard… but not too hard
According to Dr. Sonya Yuen-wah Law, one of Hong Kong’s leading clinical psychologists, there is a significant correlation between job satisfaction and life satisfaction. People feel happiest when they regularly receive an optimal level of stimulation, have positive social relationships and a sense of identity – in other words they love their job and they’re good at it. Fellow, clinical psychologist at Fullife Psychological Practice, Dr. Sarah Ip, agrees that a good route to happiness is pursuing a fulfilling career. “Being happy is more than doing what feels good,” she explains. “It is also about doing things that make you feel good about yourself as a person.”
On the other hand, numerous studies have proven that placing too much emphasis on your career can lead to exhaustion and depression. Achieving a balanced work/home life is a persistent issue in Hong Kong, where long working hours are common. A study conducted by Dr. Richard Welford at the University of Hong Kong took 1,000 randomly selected employees in Hong Kong and tested them for stress, fitness and general well being while questioning them about their work-life balance. The results were alarming – according to the survey, the average working week in Hong Kong is 55 hours and 80 percent of the participants were regularly working unpaid overtime. Meanwhile, 75 percent of respondents suffered from work-related stress or lack of exercise, while 45 percent of respondents reported exhaustion and 33 percent experienced depression. The study identified a key problem with the Hong Kong work ethic: 40 percent of people admitted to working less hard during official working hours because they knew they would still be expected to stay late regardless. More troubling, it was also discovered that those who worked late were considerably less happy than those who sought a more even work/life balance. “There were two key points we discovered from this study. Firstly, that Hong Kong has an unusually large amount of working hours and secondly, that a great deal of the time, people were merely putting in these hours because they felt expected to do so – not because they needed to, to get their jobs done.” So, work hard during the day - but go home at night.
Exercise for fitness, not just to lose weight
Dr. Richard Welford’s study into the Hong Kong work ethic also revealed another worrying insight into our population. His results proved that the lowest priority for many of the workers he interviewed was fitness, and a massive 75 percent of participants were suffering both in body and mind due to a lack of exercise. And yet it is widely understood that exercising improves your mood due to those all-important happy hormones. Endorphins are morphine-like hormone molecules that enter the brain’s neurons and position themselves on receptors that normally send pain-signaling molecules back to other parts of the brain. These are the same receptors that opiate drugs such as morphine play on in the brain, and as a result are highly affective at lifting mood.
A burst of exercise can even lead you to experience what’s known as a “runner’s high,” a mood lift, which has been known to be as effective a pain killer as morphine. Maintaining a high level of fitness also helps fight diseases, battles stress and levels out mood swings. As Ms.Ip explains, “Depressed patients are always advised to do some form of exercise.” But do you need to turn into a gym bunny to have a shot at optimum happiness? According to scientists, just 30 minutes of exercise a day can drastically improve happiness.
Many activities may prove beneficial, but research suggests the most effective exercises in improving mood levels are rhythmic activities that work all the major muscle groups and are moderately strenuous, such as jogging, swimming, cycling and walking. Studies also have shown that mentally stimulating exercise - martial arts, for example - promote positive mood changes, especially as the participants’ skill levels improve.
Indeed, the real problem for most people seems to be the motivation to exercise. “If you exercise to lose weight rather than for health reasons, you are far more likely to quit when the weight doesn’t drop off,” explains Ip. “It is important to choose an exercise that you enjoy, or add extra motivation to your exercise regime.”